Which Is Healthier: A Gyro or a Greek Salad?

Torn at the diner? You may think, “It’s all Greek to me!,” but the winner is clear.

Leslie Barrie

May 25, 2015

Torn at the diner? You may think, “It’s all Greek to me!,” but the winner is clear. “Even though Greek salads have lots of fat from the feta, olives and dressing, they’re mostly good fats, and the meal is still lower in fat and calories than a gyro sandwich,” says Dawn Jackson Blatner, RDN, a dietitian in Chicago. The gyro’s main nutritional downside is not its pita bread or tzatziki sauce: The meat is the real doozy. The ground lamb, beef or both used in gyros aren’t necessarily of the leanest variety. Plus, the salad boasts more fiber, from vegetables such as romaine, red onions and tomatoes. (They also provide vitamins A and C.) Drizzle on oil and vinegar, or ask for Greek vinaigrette on the side—most restaurant cooks pour with a heavy hand, increasing the calorie tally. You’re ordering a salad, so who needs that?